World's Most Experienced Pilot Turns 100

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World's Most Experienced Pilot Turns 100

When Evelyn Bryan Johnson was a youthful 35- year-old woman living with her husband in Florida, she saw sign that read "Learn to Fly." That was back in 1944, and learn to fly she did.

Since those first few lessons in a Piper Cub, Johnson has gone on to amass more flight time than any living person – 57,635.4 hours to be precise. That’s more than six and a half years in the air.

The veteran pilot turned 100 today. She was still teaching students until a medical issue recently grounded her. “I’d be getting more [flight time] if didn’t have glaucoma and could get a medical,” she told the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association.

Johnson continues managing the airport near her home in Morristown, Tennessee. She's held the job 56 years. She stopped counting students after 3,000 but has tracked how many check rides – the final test before receiving your license – she’s given to pilots. That number stands at 9,000.

Johnson says staying busy and not watching the grass grow has been a key to her longevity. "I haven’t known many people who were 100,” she said. "It’s fun to think about it. How have I gotten so many things done in as short a time as 100 years?”